Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the Grand Canyon, Arizona Great American Railroad Journeys

I have crossed the Atlantic to ride

the railroads of North America... BELL CHIMES

..with my reliable Appletons' Guide.

HORN BEEPS

Published in the late 19th century,

Appletons' General Guide To North America will direct me to all

that's novel, beautiful, memorable and striking in the United States.

THEY SHOUT

As I journey across this vast continent,

I'll discover how pioneers and cowboys conquered the West,

and how the railroads tied this nation together,

helping to create the global superstate of today.

Late-19th-century railroad companies were quick to spot

that the grand scenery of the West would be a powerful draw

for wealthy tourists, who would pay to enjoy the sights

from the comfort and safety of a luxury train.

TRAIN WHISTLES

My long rail journey through the American West has brought me

to the state of New Mexico,

and will soon reach its conclusion in Arizona.

For the traveller who had seen the Missouri River,

the so-called Mighty Mo,

who had gasped at the Arkansas River's Royal Gorge,

who had marvelled at Pueblo towns

perched on pillars of rock 300 feet high,

the greatest, grandest wonder still lay ahead.

TRAIN WHISTLES

I began my journey in St Louis, Missouri,

then headed to Kansas City.

From there, I continued west across the plains

to cowboy town, Dodge City,

before arriving in the Rocky Mountains at Colorado Springs.

Now I'll press on south-west, through New Mexico,

and end at an awe-inspiring natural wonder in Arizona.

I'll start this last leg in Albuquerque, New Mexico,

then travel to Williams, Arizona,

and finish at the Grand Canyon.

'During my travels, I'll marvel at American steam technology...'

Ha! My goodness, John, that is enormous.

'..discover the flavours of New Mexico...'

That's perfect. Excellent.

More chilli on top.

'..and see the earth open up below me.'

Here we go, over the edge,

and the ground falls away beneath us.

TRAIN WHISTLES

My next stop will be Albuquerque,

which Appletons' tells me has a population of about 6,000,

situated on the Rio Grande river at an elevation of some 5,000 feet.

Albuquerque is the eastern terminus of

the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.

The junction with the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad

is just south of this point.

I've been wondering, in the old days,

what kind of locomotive was robust enough to haul a train

all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles?

BELL CHIMES

TRAIN WHISTLES

Downtown Albuquerque. Please watch your step.

Thank you for riding the New Mexico Rail Runner Express.

Like much of New Mexico, the city of Albuquerque

blends Native American and Spanish influences.

Founded by Spanish colonists in 1706,

it was laid out as a traditional village,

with a central plaza surrounded by public buildings,

homes and a church,

preserved today as the Old Town.

The arrival of the railroad in 1880 transformed Albuquerque.

It became home to the main locomotive works for

the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad,

better known simply as the Santa Fe.

This enormous Albuquerque locomotive repair shed gives me an idea of

how important the railroads were in this city,

and it's as though they just left.

Here are the tracks where the engines were moved.

There are the cranes with which they were hoisted into the air.

There are the pits for the work underneath.

These vast buildings are often compared to cathedrals of steam,

and this one even has stained glass.

The glory days of the railroad in Albuquerque are long gone,

but thanks to a group of keen volunteers,

steam will soon make a comeback.

'John Taylor is a member of

'the New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society.'

John, what kind of facilities had to be provided for the railroad

out here in the West?

Well, initially, of course, you had to provide stations,

sidings, water and fuel stops,

and then, eventually,

Albuquerque developed into the largest workshop complex

between Chicago and Los Angeles,

and it was one of the major employers in Albuquerque

for a number of years.

Is there any work going on here today?

Oh, yes, there is!

We've been talking about history -

let's go and see some living history.

Let's do that.

John and his colleagues are embarked on an ambitious restoration project.

Ha! My goodness, John, that is enormous.

What a whopper!

Isn't she wonderful?

Absolutely!

What is this locomotive?

This is the Santa Fe 2926.

It was built in 1944 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Pennsylvania.

It went 100mph,

weighs a million pounds,

and was built to pull freight and troop trains and passengers.

Why was it necessary to have such a big locomotive?

Well, this locomotive is actually equivalent in horsepower

to about a modern diesel engine.

So, if you're going to have...

pull a big train, you have to have to have a big locomotive.

The other thing about this is the combination of the size of

the locomotive and the size of the tender,

which holds 24,500 gallons of water,

was to get a greater distance between water stops.

This uses 100 gallons per mile of water.

Of course, in Europe, water is normally plentiful.

Here in the United States, it must be quite a big issue.

Well, in the desert and the south-west, of course.

-Wow. Fantastic.

-Yes.

Is it possible to get even closer to the locomotive?

Oh, we have something planned for you!

Let's go this way.

This locomotive is at the pinnacle of steam technology,

one of the last to be built burning oil rather than coal.

I can't think of anything more fun.

OK, come on down. Watch your head.

Oh, my word. I don't think I've ever seen such a huge locomotive

and now I'm underneath it.

And at the end here, that very American feature, the cowcatcher.

Indeed, sort of a reminiscence of the Old West.

-This is Pete Adair.

-Pete, hi. Michael.

Hi. Glad to meet you.

He's going to have you help us adjust part of the brake system.

So what do I do, Pete?

We need to twist this until it brings the brake shoes

up close enough to the drivers.

OK.

Right! Very large spanner, very large screw,

apply pressure.

Yay, it's moving.

How far do I need to take it, Pete?

That's about right. That looks like it's got the brake shoes just about

where they should be. Good.

OK, guys, any time you need a hand, you've got my cell number.

Absolutely.

'This magnificent engine had a relatively brief operational life.

'Introduced in 1944, she made her final journey only nine years later.

'For over 40 years, she was exhibited in an Albuquerque park

'before restoration began in 2000.'

Who are you, the guys who've come together to do this great work?

We're everything. I'm a nuclear engineer.

We have a physician.

We have a Lutheran minister.

We have welders, we have police officers...

It's a very, very diverse group.

It looks like you've done an enormous amount of work

on it already.

Are you getting towards the end?

It probably is within six to eight months,

actually having it running.

It's just going to be an unbelievable experience.

TRAIN WHISTLES

'Here in New Mexico, it's hard to avoid the chilli.

'New Mexicans are so proud of their 8,000-acre annual harvest

'that they've designated the potent pepper their state vegetable -

'an opportunity for me to test my mettle.

'Brothers John and Jim Thomas have been running El Pinto restaurant

'since 1994.'

What a fantastic, beautiful garden restaurant this is.

How did it get started?

Back in 1962, our folks started the El Pinto restaurant,

and John and I were three years old at the time.

We grew up on the premises and we've been enjoying it ever since.

'El Pinto began as one room with a handful of tables.

'Now it seats over 1,200 diners

'and once played host to President Obama.'

New Mexico is just, kind of, famed for chilli, isn't that right?

That's it.

What are the influences that come together in New Mexico cuisine?

Well, it's the Hispanic, it's the Indian culture, the Pueblo Indian,

and the Spanish came in and they collaborated

and they developed recipes like enchiladas,

chillies, beans and corn.

I have no idea, because I'm a foreigner.

What is the difference between the red and the green chilli?

-Well, Michael, actually, they're the same plant.

-Are they?

It's just that the green is not matured and the red is matured.

What is the difference in the flavour?

The red chilli has been ripened, so it has a sweeter flavour.

-Yeah?

-And then the green chilli has less sweet of a flavour,

but we roast it and it gives a really nice, distinct flavour.

You can smell it. The way they smell is so good.

There's nothing like chillies.

Chilli goes with everything.

Michael, come along. We're going to show you how to make

a red chilli and chicken enchilada.

I don't even know what an enchilada is!

You start off with the blue corn tortilla.

Go ahead and just lay it in the chilli there.

Flip it on one side, and then flip it on the other side.

-Coat it all the way, Michael.

-That's it.

There we go. What do we to add to that?

Now, we're going to be some onions first -

just a sprinkle, like a light dusting.

Then we go ahead and sprinkle some cheese.

Not too much cheese. This is not a pizza, this is an enchilada.

Give another tortilla a drench. Another tortilla.

-Flip it in there.

-There you go.

-You got the hang of it after that.

-Perfect. Lay it right on top.

-You've got a job, dude.

-There we go. THEY LAUGH

Now we want to put a little chicken on there.

-Layer it right on there.

-Then you've got to put another tortilla on top,

that's going to cover it.

More chilli on top.

-We're going to put an egg on top.

-Put an egg on there.

Now it all looks good and ready to me.

You've got it. Let's go and grab a margarita and have a meal.

So, chicken, cheese, onion, tortilla and chilli.

Wow.

That's great.

Mmm.

That fills your mouth and fills the stomach, doesn't it?

Yes.

-Salud.

-Salud!

I'm leaving Albuquerque and rejoining Amtrak's Southwest Chief

for a really long journey, close to 400 miles west

to Williams Junction in Arizona. TRAIN WHISTLES

On the long rail journey from Chicago to Los Angeles,

a lot of people invest in a sleeping compartment,

and I thought I would take a look.

Come on in.

It is very luxurious.

Look at this lovely sofa.

I'm guessing that this comes down so that this makes two beds.

Ah-hah! A lovely armchair,

so that I can face the direction of travel

and see this beautiful scenery.

The private facilities must be this.

Ooh.

Ah! Very small, but it does the job.

And then the surprise is this -

that it's also a shower.

Every mod con.

TRAIN WHISTLES

Before air travel became commonplace,

railroads competed for long-distance passengers.

The Santa Fe launched its Super Chief service,

between Los Angeles and Chicago, in 1936.

Exclusively first-class, the train had three lounges,

a five-star dining carriage and Pullman sleeping accommodation.

It became the transport of stars during Hollywood's golden age.

Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton,

Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland were just some of those who enjoyed

the luxury of the Super Chief.

I've arrived in the Arizona town of Williams.

I'm heading to the town's old train depot,

built in 1908 by the Santa Fe Railroad.

The Amtrak train delivered me in the dead of night to the truly remote

Williams Junction, in a forest which is a great habitat for bears.

At the time of my guidebook,

you would leave the train at Peach Springs and take a stagecoach,

but for the last century and more, there has been a train,

and so, now, this is what Appletons' calls "the departure point

"for one of the greatest wonders of nature in the world".

TRAIN WHISTLES

TRAIN WHISTLES AGAIN

'I'm thrilled to be on my way to one of the greatest sights on earth,

'and it seems that I'm not alone.'

-Hello.

-Hi.

-May I join you a moment?

-Sure.

-Are you visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time?

-Yes, we are.

-We are, we are. We're very excited.

I'm very excited. I'm visiting for the first time.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah, it's a great feeling, isn't it?

-It is.

Do you like rail travel?

I love rail travel.

It brings back the sense of history,

and it allows you to see the whole of the scenery

in a very relaxing way.

Have you been to the Grand Canyon before?

-Yes.

-Oh, many times, yes.

As many times as you go out there,

you look at it and you go, "This is not real!"

-Over there...

-Oh, go on, then.

-This'll be the highlight of their trip.

-Oh!

-Thank you.

-Oh, brilliant. Thank you very much.

The Grand Canyon Railway stretches 65 miles

from Williams to the south rim of the canyon.

It opened in 1901,

cutting the journey time from three days in a stagecoach

to a mere three hours.

America's love affair with the automobile meant that

the line closed to passengers in 1968.

It was a close shave, but luckily the tracks weren't scrapped,

and on the 17th of September, 1989,

88 years to the day since the first train ran to the south rim,

the Grand Canyon Railway reopened.

Appletons' is ecstatic.

"The Grand Canyon of the Colorado was made known to the world

"in detail only a few years ago by the adventurous voyage of

"Major John Wesley Powell down the river.

"The Colorado River passes through a succession of remarkable canyons,

"but all sink into insignificance before the Grand Canyon,

"which is more than 300 miles long.

"This canyon opens all the series of geological strata.

"The walls are from 3,000 to 7,000 in height."

And I'm prepared for much of what I've seen in my life

to sink into insignificance today.

Ha...

Oh.

Now, that really is... That is a great...

That is a great moment of my life.

It's almost like being punched, it is such a surprise.

It's like...

It's like a glimpse of the infinite.

I had no idea it was going to be so multicoloured,

so multilayered, so...

so wide.

It just is the most...

the most wonderful thing.

Literally, literally awe-inspiring.

Absolutely extraordinary.

'The United States acquired the territory in which

'the Grand Canyon sits from Mexico in 1848.

'Emily Davis works for the National Park Service.'

I'm seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, and it's like seeing

a compendium of infinite time,

all the layers of rock built up, upon each other,

and then eroded by the river, the Colorado.

Over what period was the Grand Canyon formed?

So, according to geologists,

the Grand Canyon formed about 7 million years ago

and that's when the Colorado River took its present-day course.

My guidebook talks about Powell setting out in detail

the Grand Canyon.

What was it that John Wesley Powell did?

In 1869, John Wesley Powell became the first European American

to raft down the Colorado River to challenge the white-water rapids.

While doing so, he basically made the first map of the Grand Canyon,

and, in a way, he really opened the West to exploration, to study,

and exploitation as well.

During the American Civil War,

John Wesley Powell had lost his right arm in battle.

At the time of his expedition,

much of the West had still not been mapped.

His group of ten set off along a tributary of the Colorado River

in Wyoming in May 1869.

Three months and 1,000 miles later,

six emaciated survivors arrived in Nevada.

So, when the detail of the Grand Canyon had been revealed by Powell,

did Americans want to exploit it or to treasure it?

Most people back in the late 1800s did want to come to exploit it,

so the earliest people after Powell were the miners, looking for,

of course, gold or silver.

They didn't find any of that, but mostly, once they got here,

they realised it's better to mine the pockets of tourists

rather than to mine the rocks themselves.

To preserve the Grand Canyon for the nation,

President Teddy Roosevelt designated it a national monument in 1908.

11 years later, it was further protected

when Congress made this area a national park.

Roosevelt visited here as early as 1901,

took one look at this place and was utterly inspired, and said,

"This is the one great sight that every American should see."

And now about five and a half million visitors come to

the Grand Canyon to see the grandeur that Teddy Roosevelt

spoke and wrote about, and the very place that Teddy Roosevelt helped

to set aside for our children and our children's children.

At 277 miles long, ten miles wide and over one mile deep,

the scale of the Grand Canyon is hard to grasp.

Having seen the Grand Canyon from the ground,

I'm convinced that I will get an altogether different image

from the air.

PLANE WHIRS

One of the things I noticed on the train,

and it's apparent again from the plane,

is how the Grand Canyon takes you by surprise.

Below me is this rather unimpressive scrubby plain,

and then, suddenly, you reach the edge of the Grand Canyon,

which maybe explains why, for so many years,

European Americans didn't know where it was.

Here we go, over the edge,

and the ground falls away beneath us.

And now, for the first time,

I see into the depths of the Grand Canyon,

the River Colorado appearing like a muddy brown stream

from this height -

it's difficult to believe that it has eroded this vast landscape.

If you want to think of a hero, think of John Wesley Powell,

down there in the Colorado River, that one-armed army veteran,

paddling, determined to map the Grand Canyon,

to bring its wonder to the attention of others.

Covering 1,700 miles since I left St Louis,

I've crossed plains and mountains.

This vast continent was once home to millions of

Native Americans and buffalo.

I've travelled along the valleys of the Missouri and the Arkansas,

the route once taken by the wagon trains,

and later by the railroads.

The trains transformed this land

and sealed the fate of its original inhabitants.

When the settlers arrived with their European religions,

they must have looked upon this landscape as a gift from God -

proof that the United States was entitled to enjoy

the wonders of nature from ocean to ocean.

That was its manifest destiny.

Next time, I begin a 1,000-mile journey from Minnesota's Twin Cities

to Memphis, Tennessee,

starting and finishing on the mighty Mississippi River.

You'll be riding as my bitch!

-It's a privilege.

-Yes!

-THEY LAUGH

-There they go. Don't let them get away!

-Oh!

-I enjoyed the ride. Thank you so much.

-I thank you!

2-58, your train's never late!

TRAIN WHISTLES